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Chicopee Police Chief Thomas G. Charette is sworn in by Chicopee City Clerk Keith Rattell in ceremony at the Knights of Columbus hall on Memorial Dr. Chicopee. Mayor Michael Bissonnette stands to the left in this June 2013 photo.
(John Suchocki/The Republican)

The facts were clear: In the hearing, Bissonnette explained he was concerned about Jebb’s integrity because he believed that Jebb released his criminal record, showing a 1984 arrest for cocaine possession and a 1989 arrest for driving without a valid license, during Bissonnette's first campaign for mayor in 2005.

Bissonnette was mistaken – Jebb did not release the information– but even if Jebb had, so what? Bissonnette’s criminal record is part of the public record, and it had no apparent impact on his ability to be elected or in subsequent re-elections.

Apparently, it mattered enough to Bissonnette to flout the law and choose an alternative police chief based on his own theory and vendetta.

“After reviewing the entirety of the voluminous documents submitted here and listening (and re-listening) to all of the testimony, I have concluded that Mayor Bissonnette’s
decision to bypass Mr. Jebb was the result of personal and political bias,” wrote Civil Service Commission Chairman Christopher Bowman in his decision. “He ignored the results of the assessment center and the recommendations of his own interview panel when he bypassed Mr. Jebb for promotional appointment to Police Chief. He did so based on his mistaken belief that Mr. Jebb played a role, over seven years ago, in divulging information related to his past criminal record during his first run for mayor.”

Bowman must have been scratching his head at the facts of this crystal clear case. His decision: Charette stays in the top post until July 1, when Mayor Richard Kos will determine who the next police chief is.